The New Clans: Cry
by bubblegum-buddy
Summary: It has been seasons since the Clans moved to the mountain-forest and changed their names, hoping to leave behind their old, violent ways. Come join these new warriors, defenders of truth, justice, and honor.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**FadeClan**

**Leader:  
**Graystar – long-haired gray tom, amber eyes, black stripe down back and a black paw

**Deputy:  
**Shellfur – Thick-muscled tom with coiled black and white fur

**Medicine Cat:  
**Willowstripe – Pretty gray-and-black tabby she-cat  
**Apprentice: Owlpaw**

**Warriors:  
**Murkyroot – Black tom  
Flamestripe – Black tom with a red stripe down his back  
Coldrose – Reddish-gray she-cat, blind in one eye  
Snakeskin – Nearly-hairless gray tom, expert tracker  
**Apprentice: Robinpaw  
**Bluefeather – Somewhat heavy blue-gray she-cat  
**Apprentice: Riverpaw  
**Darkclaw – Gray she-cat, expert hunter  
**Apprentice: Skunkpaw**

**Queens:  
**Fernfoot – Gray she-cat, mate of Flamestripe  
Featherfur – Gray, long-haired she-cat, mate unknown (mother of Dodgekit, Brushkit, and Pinekit)

**Apprentices:  
**Owlpaw – Cream she-cat, amber eyes  
Robinpaw – Little brown tom, fluffy tail  
Riverpaw – Hot-tempered gray-and-white tom  
Skunkpaw – Scruffy black-and-white she-cat

**Elders:  
**Crookedtail – Oldest tom in FadeClan, black tom, broken tail  
Wispeyes – Gray she-cat, retired early due to blindness  
Hawkfur – Cranky dappled brown tom

**WaveClan**

**Leader:  
**Stripestar – Tabby tom with black stripes along his face, blue eyes

**Deputy:  
**Tigertail – Brown and black tabby tom

**Medicine Cat:  
**Reedleaf – Speckled gray, white, and black tom

**Warriors:  
**Kestrelwing – Agile brown and white she-cat  
Waterstride – White she-cat  
**Apprentice: Pebblepaw**  
Twistbird – Gray tom with black swirls on his body  
Grayjaw – Very strong gray tom with an underbite  
**Apprentice: Leopardpaw**  
Rootmask – Scruffy black tom, yellow eyes  
**Apprentice: Crowpaw**

**Queens:  
**Cherryflower – Pale cream and orange she-cat (mother of Dawnkit and Duskkit)

**Elders:  
**Jumpfoot – Oldest cat in the forest, used to be a great jumper, now has only 3 legs.

**StormClan**

**Leader:  
**Sparrowstar – Thin gray-and-black she-cat, green eyes

**Deputy:  
**Foxpelt – Orangey tom, white chest

**Medicine Cat:  
**Whistlewind – Flighty silver she-cat

**Warriors:  
**Volefang – Black she-cat, blue eyes  
**Apprentice: Daypaw**  
Thunderstrike – Big black tom, blue eyes  
**Apprentice: Sunpaw**  
Spottedstone – Grayish brown tom  
Whitefoot – Skinny white she-cat  
**Apprentice: Redpaw**  
Swirlpelt – Tortoiseshell she-cat  
**Apprentice: Robinpaw**

**Queens:  
**Jaybird – Heavy, dull-gray she-cat (mother of Treekit, Waterkit, Mousekit, and Rowankit)

**Elders:  
**No-ear – Old gray tom, one ear torn off in battle  
Deadleg – Angry black tom, leg injured in a Twoleg monster accident

**FlightClan**

**Leader:  
**Whiskerstar – Old gray tom, amber eyes

**Deputy:  
**Lionclaw – Silent golden tabby tom

**Medicine Cat:  
**Mintmask – Generally skeptical tabby she-cat

**Warriors:  
**Heatherclaw – Brown tabby she-cat  
Mousetail – Cream tom  
**Apprentice: Nightpaw**  
Pinefoot – Golden-brown tom  
Fireface – Solid ginger tom  
**Apprentice: Sparkpaw**  
Clearwater – Odd-eyed white she-cat  
Badgerhowl – Gray tabby tom, green eyes  
**Apprentice: Weedpaw**

**Queens:  
**Mossheart – Expectant gray she-cat  
Swallowsong – Brown and gray she-cat (mother of Rainkit and Tumblekit)

**Elders:  
**Frostfoot – White tom  
Shadowfall – Dull black tom  
Squirrelscreech – Ginger she-cat


	2. Prologue

**Welcome! Thank you for choosing to read my new baby, The New Clans: Cry. This will hopefully be the first in a series of The New Clans stories, and I truly hope you all enjoy it. Please make sure to leave a review after you read this - I would really like to know what you think of this story.**

* * *

**Prologue**

It has been many seasons since the Great Abandonment. Long ago, in territories that surrounded a lake as clear as the night sky, there lived four warrior cat Clans. These Clans were called ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan. Their warriors were strong and fierce, and they used their claws and fangs more expertly than even those noble cats of the Great Clans, LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan. Many heroes and villains of legend came from these clans: The noble Firestar, the tragic Yellowfang, the treacherous Tigerstar, and the villainous Scourge of BloodClan. However, when the Clans lived by this great lake, tensions rose high between the Clans.

At the decline of their greatness, a long drought season had come upon the lake. The prey, which had once been plentiful by these calm waters, became scare. The Clans became hungry, very hungry. Maddened by a desperate need for food and water, each Clan blamed the other three on the lack of prey. Accusations of thievery and gluttony rang loud at their gathering place, and total war broke out between the Clans.

Many, so many cats died in this war. When there were only a small few cats remaining, some used their powers of reason to deduce that killing each other would not end the drought. These cats decided that it would be best to move to a new territory if this one could no longer fill their bellies. They traveled for many days and many nights, and on their twentieth night, a shooting star the color of blood screamed across the black night sky. It caused a phenomenon that cast a strange light on the land ahead of them. Mountains and tall pine trees rolled for what seemed like skylengths ahead of them. The crisp scent of this new territory mingled with the freshness of the night, and a cat with a strange knowledge of things that could not be explained declared that this was to be their new home.

When the leaders of this group questioned the credulity of the cat's statement, they looked directly above them and asked StarClan for answers – StarClan, of course, being the heavenly body in which the spirits of our ancestors go to watch over us and give us signs when we are in our darkest hours. Strangely, as they asked these wise spirits for answers, they began to move, and created a column of light that was brighter than the midday sun in the season of Greenleaf. This light began to move from around the cats to the pine forest, and all the cats stared in wonder and awe at this most miraculous sight.

The Clans, or what was left of them, divided the forest territory among themselves. ShadowClan, who had been unfairly treated in past times and was always given marshland with skinny, lifeless trees, was given a thick pine forest. Their east border was with ThunderClan, who were accustomed to forests. Their forest was rather sparse and rocky compared to the kinds that they were used to. A river ran between these Clans' borders. WindClan's territory was made of rocks and hills, which they quickly adapted to from their flat moorland. They were the western border of ShadowClan and the north border of ThunderClan. The last Clan, RiverClan, was given a plain filled with many tiny streams flowing through it.

Come the first full moon living in these new territories, the Clan leaders needed to find a place to gather. At the back of ShadowClan's territory, there were several smallish mountains – and I say "smallish" because no one in their right mind would ever call a mountain small. They thought that perhaps they could gather on one of these mountains, and as they approached the center mountain, they noticed that many boulders and ledges seemed as if they had been moved by some unknown force to create a stairway up to a very large, flat ledge. The cats found it rather easy to climb up this path, and they held their first Gathering in these new territories on that ledge.

At the Gathering, these cats agreed that the old way of "kill or be killed, the one Clan comes first" were foolish ways that only hurt the well-being of all the Clans in the end. To rectify this, the Clans abandoned their old names. ShadowClan became known as FadeClan, for they were the smallest Clan after the war and, indeed, might have faded from existence at that point. ThunderClan became known as StormClan, for their power would cover all the Clans with the protective nature of their old way. WindClan became known as FlightClan, for their speed mixed with this new enlightenment would allow their cats to soar to new greatness. And last but most certainly not least, RiverClan became known as WaveClan, in honor of the water that flowed through their new territory and the rushes of power that would surge in their hearts.

But perhaps most importantly at that momentous Gathering, the new Clans decided on a new philosophy for their warriors to follow. To prevent a tragedy like the Great Clan War from ever happening again, the cats vowed never to raise a claw in battle again unless absolutely necessary. Clan differences should be solved by diplomacy and peaceful matters. Lawbreakers should be exiled and chased out of the Clans rather than killed. Breakers of any laws should be punished severely, so as not to encourage lawbreaking.

This was the philosophy that created the Clans in which we live today. We are not warriors because we fight each other, but in our hearts, we are the noblest of our kind. We are warriors for the truth, for justice, for honor. We are warriors in our bodies, our hearts, and our spirits. This is our new way. This is our new life. The old way is dead. Let the seeds of our new truth be sowed and grown into a mighty forest of our honor!


	3. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome back! I present to you, chapter 1! Please read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Owlpaw!" the tabby she-cat called. "Owlpaw, come here. I want you to look at these herbs."

A creamy-colored she-cat raised her head up. "Coming, Willowstripe!" she answered, turning her head back to the glistening spiderweb she had been investigating. "I'll be back for you later," she whispered to it, and then energetically bound across the green grass. Skidding to a stop moments before crashing into Willowstripe, Owlpaw grinned up shyly, embarrassed at her near slip. "What did you want me to look at?" she asked.

Willowstripe purred with laughter. "These herbs here," she said. The midday sun made the leaves of these herbs look especially green. "Can you tell me what this is?"

Owlpaw sniffed. "Oh, come on, Willowstripe, that's easy! It's ivy!"

"Right, but what _kind_ of ivy?" the tabby pressed.

"Uh…" Now Owlpaw was stumped. Was it regular ivy, which patched up wounds nicely, or was it poison ivy, which could leave the nastiest of rashes on a cat's skin? "Um…is it…is it poison ivy?"

"Nope, not poison," Willowstripe answered. "This is just regular ivy."

Owlpaw sighed audibly. "Augh, how will I ever figure out the difference?! I always mess these up! Watch, some cat is going to have a cut on their rear and I'll give them the wrong ivy, so not only will they be bleeding but they'll be scratching their butt all day!"

"Easy, Owlpaw, calm down," the tabby instructed. "You've only been training for two moons, I expect you to make mistakes like this. Now, to tell the difference, regular ivy is as you see here. Poison ivy, on the other hand, grows in threes and tends to take on a more reddish color. In the winter, it grows in long red strands that are easily visible."

Owlpaw huffed. She hated being educated like this. She always just kept hearing the same things over and over again, day in and day out. It was so droll, and it seemed awfully useless to her. How was she ever going to save any cat's life if all she ever learned about was what plant looked like what. It didn't seem practical to her.

"Now come along," Willowstripe said, interrupting her apprentice's thoughts. "Let's take these back to camp, and then we'll be done for the day."

"'Kay," Owlpaw muttered, clamping her jaws around the ivy. She padded quietly behind Willowstripe, listening to the caws of pigeons and crows high up in the trees. The air was crisp, as newleaf had only just begun. The sky overhead was a bright blue with very little cloud cover. However, the cats of her Clan didn't need to worry about heat, as their forests had many tall pine trees to shade them.

Yes, the forest of FadeClan was like a blessing unto their Clan from their warrior ancestors – ancestors that Owlpaw, being a medicine cat, could have the gift of speaking to. However, being very early in her training, no cat of StarClan had spoken to her yet, but Willowstripe said that that was a good thing – StarClan only spoke to cats of the earth in times of trouble.

Suddenly, Owlpaw's ears pricked up and she gasped in surprise. "What was that?" she asked aloud in a panicked voice.

Willowstripe twitched one ear in confusion. "What was what, Owlpaw?"

"There- in the bushes!" she squeaked. "I heard something!" Owlpaw's mind began to swarm with horrible thoughts. Was it a rogue? A badger? A fox? A hawk? A Twoleg? The rustling became louder and louder as whatever it was crept closer. Owlpaw shrank, letting her belly touch the green grass, her claws digging into the earth. It was a badger, she just knew it. It was a huge, vicious badger with saliva dripping from its fangs and it wanted to kill her and eat her and…

Out of the bush leapt a little ground squirrel. It flicked its bushy tail, cast a quick glance at the two cats, and sprinted away.

"…Oh," Owlpaw breathed, both relived and feeling highly embarrassed.

Willowstripe chuckled. "Goodness, Owlpaw, you worry so much. StarClan forbid ever speaking to you – you'd surely faint from the mere sight of them!" She purred in laughter. Owlpaw sighed. She knew Willowstripe was only teasing and wasn't really scolding her, but she still felt embarrassed that she could get so worked up and scared over nothing. She was really glad that she was a medicine cat, because she knew that she would be the most incompetent warrior imaginable.

The scent of FadeClan cats filled Owlpaw's nose and an involuntary purr emanated from her throat. There was nothing quite like walking into camp and seeing all its warriors sharing tongues, kits playing, and apprentices teaching each other the things their mentors had taught them. Although, FadeClan was very small, so they had very few apprentices in the Clan as of yet.

There was Owlpaw herself, who was a little cream she-cat with amber eyes. She was mostly a loner but could occasionally talk to Skunkpaw. Skunkpaw was the only other she-cat apprentice, and she was a scruffy black-and-white cat, and a little on the heavy side. She didn't let her weight bother her, though – if Riverpaw or Robinpaw, the two "idiot toms" ever made fun of her, she'd "give them such a good clobbering they wouldn't know what hit 'em."

As Owlpaw walked into the Clan camp, the three apprentices were arguing, as they usually were.

"You're just too fat to be a good hunter!" Riverpaw was saying. His gray-and-white fur was bristled, and his teeth were pulled back in a snarl. "So don't give me any of that, 'Oh, well, my weight makes me a powerful fighter' mousedung! If you can't hunt, you're a failure as a warrior!"

"I _am_ a good hunter!" Skunkpaw insisted, shoving her muzzle right up against Riverpaw's in a defiant act, her tail sticking straight up. "Have you forgotten that it was _me_ who caught that pigeon you were too stupid to catch? It only had one wing and you _still_ couldn't get it! Why, I bet you couldn't catch a mouse if it had no legs and no sense of smell!"

"Why you little…!" Riverpaw snarled, launching himself at Skunkpaw. The two began to fight, spitting and hissing, before Robinpaw, a tiny brown tomcat, got in between the two of them. Owlpaw was glad that she was older than him, because he had an excellent temperament to be the medicine cat apprentice.

"Enough," he said. His tone was not angry, but it demanded obedience. Riverpaw sniffed and got off Skunkpaw, while Skunkpaw just glared at them both. "You two have to stop fighting," he began to scold. "If you can't get along with each other, then you will not be able to trust your Clanmates. You will see each other's friends as enemies, and you will create a tear in your loyalty to the Clan. Then we will once again create a nightmare like the legend of Firestar and Tigerstar – is that what you want?"

Riverpaw and Skunkpaw grumbled, "No," in unison.

Robinpaw flicked his fluffy tail. "Good," he meowed. He looked over the both of them and saw the medicine cats. "Good morning, Owlpaw!" he greeted. "And you, Willowstripe."

"Morning, Owlpaw," Riverpaw muttered, while at the same time, Skunkpaw grumbled, "Mornin'."

"Hi," Owlpaw mewed, slightly muffled through the ivy.

"Owlpaw, no time for chit-chat," Willowstripe interrupted, her black stripes rippling against her silver fur. "Come along now."

"Oh, ok," Owlpaw muttered, disappointed. It wasn't always great being a medicine cat. She never got to talk to the other apprentices. "See you," she said to the others with a wave of her tail, and followed after Willowstripe a bit dejectedly.

As they entered the medicine cats' den, which was a little hollow in a fallen pine tree, two toms approached them. One was a big gray tom with a long black stripe going from his head to just before the tip of his tail and black paws, and the other was black-and-white with short, curly fur.

"Good morning Graystar, Shellfur," Willowstripe greeted, dipping her head in respect. "What brings the Clan leader and deputy to our den?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Graystar casually. His voice was laced with charisma and charm, like he could talk his way out of being trapped in quicksand (not that Owlpaw really thought that dirt that could swallow you whole existed, it was probably just some tale the elders made up to keep kits in camp). "I just wanted to see how our little Owlpaw was doing in her training as a medicine cat." His amber gaze slowly turned from Willowstripe to Owlpaw, lit with some type of studying. "I'm sure she'll be a fine one."

"Oh, she is doing well," Willowstripe said for her. "But I suspect it will be several moons before she can earn her warrior name." When Owlpaw made an indignant sound, Willowstripe turned her head. "I don't mean any offense by it, Owlpaw, but there is much to learn if you want to be a medicine cat. You aren't even close to knowing all of it. StarClan bless me if even I know it all."

Owlpaw grumbled but said nothing, staring at her paws.

"I'm sure that she'll develop the temperament in due time, Willowstripe," Graystar purred. Shellfur nodded and blinked in agreement. He was a cat of few words. "Now, if you will excuse me, Shellfur and I must organize some patrols. Good chatting with you." He held his tail high and padded off, Shellfur grunting and then following behind him.

Willowstripe shook her head, but Owlpaw wasn't really sure why. "Come on, let's go put these away," she said, picking up the ivy she had put down to talk to Graystar and hopping inside the hollow. Owlpaw reluctantly followed, and another day of sorting herbs and giving elders mouse bile for their ticks began.

The sun couldn't have gone by more lazily and slowly that day. While any other cat would have been grateful for such a long day at the beginning of newleaf, Owlpaw hated it. Her routine was the same, day in and day out. Get up, collect herbs at sunrise, sort them at sunhigh, take a quick break for some prey which was either eaten alone or maybe with Skunkpaw, make mouse bile for the elders after that, tend to the queens at sunset, and go to sleep just as the sun crept behind the trees. It was all so dull, Owlpaw almost thought she was watching another cat live out this boring life.

That night, as she slowly drifted off into sleep, Owlpaw began to dream. She'd never really had many dreams before this night.

In her dream, Owlpaw was up at the Gathering Mountain. She was chasing a little butterfly around the four ledges where the leaders would speak. Suddenly, the blue sky around her turned to gray, and then a dark blackish-blue. She sniffed but smelled nothing. What was this?

Then a loud rumble rolled across the sky. The ground beneath her began to shake, causing small pebbles to leap up and dance in midair. Owlpaw began to crouch to the ground as the clouds above her began to tumble together and crash, the wind moving fast, far too fast. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky and actually _pierced _the four ledges. Lightning cutting rocks? That was inconceivable! Even Willowstripe, who was a great believer of miracles and signs, said that such a thing was impossible.

Then the ledges began to wobble and quake. Owlpaw held her breath, and then gasped as one crashed right onto the stone. Then the second, then the third, and finally the fourth pillar came crashing down. Owlpaw now whimpered and cried, fear seizing hold of her body and leaving her unable to move. Then, when she thought it couldn't get any worse, the ledge beneath her began to crack and come loose.

The last thing she remembered from her dream was clinging to the rock as it flipped over so that she was now close to the ground and screaming, "StarClan, save me!"


End file.
